Favorite Label Friday January 25, 2013

Oh yes. I do. I do buy things just to have that label. Not a fancy-schmancy label...tho, I don't hold it against a label or a thing if some nose-in-the-air has their name on something....
I love this one!
Truth and Soul.

Sooooo 70s. Peace. Love. Truth. Soul. Big sun and the Moon and the Stars. Look at that font...bubbly and fun. In between listening to The Carpenters and Sly and the Family Stone, us flower children and hippies were busy saving the world and making it better for all of the peoples. We got sold out by Ronald Reagan and the Republicans for the last 30 or so years...but Good Times, Equal Rights and saving the planet for our survival is now Back in style, Back in the knick of Time.

And the sweater is so fantastic! Styled like it's 30s, but made in the 70s in that neato blend known as Space Dye of the time, or simply, heathered, or multicolors.....
this one blends rust and green yarns in this Purl stitch  turtleneck, with 30s style deep ribbed cuffs and waistband.

Here's another 70s style...this is from the "FUN" 70s...party, disco, and slinky sexy dresses. This gathered ruched number recalls the glam gowns of the 30s also. Yup, the 70s was the 30s and 40s done all over again...with a groovy twist, in modern fibers for easy care.

Hey look.......Easy Street Fashions!
Getting yourself to Easy Street was a real big deal in the 30s and the 40s as you can imagine...The Depression, Prohibition, and the threat of looming war....and then...war. Dreams delayed, and soldiers fighting overseas.

The vintage 70s long empire dress with wide straps....and a deep neckline, has a sexy gathered bodice and is reminiscent of the 40s glam gowns.
So very....1970s Halston and the Disco.

The 70s colors repeated the earthy colors of the 30s too.....brown, moss green, shades of orange......rust, peach, pumpkin and earth tones of tan, khaki and caramel....

These 2 skirts ....both in earthy autumn tones, are from the same company, but the labels changed with the times...starting out more traditional, with a very charming logo...then later, it got more whimsical with a swirly font..... I find this interesting because, Copley Square , named for painter John Singleton Copley, is a public square in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, in a conservative locale.... and the older label, here, reflects the timeless classic style, with is simple font and spare yet detailed logo of high rise buildings with their high rise windows!

this wool skirt is charming with perma pleats...The wool blend plaid is a rich blend of coffee brown, rust, tan, camel and pumpkin. Shaded ombre rainbow plaid...not boring!


But later on in the 70s, teals, blues and dark browns came into style...and the label changed....Simple yet fun...and still traditional, and also cheaper to make, with much less detail than the earlier 70s Copley Square Ltd label.

Another change....the earlier 70s skirt has a red, white and blue UNION label, while the late 70s skirt doesn't. As Unions came under attack, and US jobs moved overseas, Americans lost good benefits, good wages, and still kept on producing excellent quality goods as much as they were allowed to by the bean counters and CEOs.

A classic with its charming perma pleats...The wool blend plaid is a rich blend of coffee brown, rust, tan, camel and dark teal.


Later 70s clothes are often darker colors and jewel tones....turquoise, teal, purple, burgundy, berry, and ruby.
Here's a delicious purple velvet blazer....The label is College Town, a venerable Massachusetts label that started making college girl clothes in the 50s when post-war "girls" started entering college in big numbers.

I see a logo with Hearts and Arrows....follow your heart...follow your dreams!

Made in USA

Back in the early 80s I noticed that a lot and I mean a lot....of things I was buying new were made in countries other than America. I use to enjoy buying neat imported things from Cost Plus Imports in San Francisco back in the 70s, and the occasional cute widget at Woolworths, but imported merchandise was still quite rare. I bought wicker baskets from China because that's where they were made. Made in India handwoven and stamped textiles indigenous to the country...When that changed to making 3rd world countries the low-wage exploited workers of the world...I stopped buying imported goods if at all possible.

And, I simply stopped buying imports from that time on....unless I could not find it made in the USA. This meant I went without a lot of stuff. And that is fine! I made do, I bought used, I made it myself, I lived without. (I have always had used clothes, used housewares, used cars, and used furniture...this new trend of "junk" and "diy" ain't anything new to me!)



 
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During the 70s, I remember imports from Taiwan ROC, and Hong Kong, for instance, showing up in clothing shops. And Volkswagens...and Volvos...from Europe!

While the imports were rare until the mid 1980s, they offered no real challenge to American jobs and our economy. The industry that grows around imports.....the ships, the ports, the dockworkers, the movers....can add to an economy. What has happened since Reagan was installed in the White House, is that people have been convinced that buying American is dumb, that government is the enemy, and that Unions didn't get those high wages we used to enjoy.....and now....we have low-paying  jobs in the US, and Americans have closets overflowing with junk from China.

 a label from a vintage nightgown, Made in USA, and UNION made!

I have always been promoting the re-use of that stuff others have discarded! When I say "The Recycled Life", I'm not saying some slick marketing concept.....I live it. I believe it.
I know this has always been the right way to live.
I developed this philosophy of living back in the '60s when I was a teenager.
1. Buy Quality. It lasts a long long time, cutting down on waste.
2. Buy from Small Business. Do you think Macy's really gives a shit about you?
3. Buy local as much as possible. We live in a world economy, and we always have, so if you can't find what you want in your area, search out other small businesses, and buy from them.

When I offer something with a not-made-in-America label, it is vintage or used. It needs to be reintroduced to our modern life again. It needs to see life again. It needs to be used, and worn out!
We can't change the past, but we can change today....we can change tomorrow.

Where ever you live, you can buy more stuff made locally, buy better quality stuff, and be mindful of all your purchases. I'm typing on a made in China computer.....because I repaired my old computers until they could not be revived. I didn't buy a new computer every year....I kept what I had for about 5 years, and got it repaired.



Minnetonka moccasins are made in (surprise) Minnetonka Minnesota USA.  Since 1946, Minnetonka has been a staple of American style.

Crayons are made in the USA! not every Binney-Smith product.....but crayons are.

Here's the classic Crayola factory tour from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.